Raiders NFL Draft Prospect: CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia Bulldogs

University of Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo is one of the top cornerbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft and is on the radar of the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Las Vegas Raiders will look at all options to improve a roster that finished the 2022 season with a 6-11 record.

The Raiders' defense was atrocious, to say the least, but there were many factors on why the defense played the way it did this last season.

The defense did not have the players nor the depth behind it to run the defensive system Coach Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham was expecting to implement in year one.

Expect the Raiders to sign some veteran key free agents this off-season, but don’t be surprised if they go heavy on defense in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.

Meantime, we’ll be working alongside SI’s Draft Bible to get you the latest information on potential draft prospects for the Silver and Black.

“We’re going to continue to find players who fit what we look for, and continue to build this team in our vision, and I think we’re going to, at the same time, our goal is to win football games, and our goal for next year is to make an improvement over where we were this year,” Raiders General Manager Dave Ziegler said.

Cornerback Kelee Ringo, Georgia Bulldogs

The coaching staff will add players to run their system in its second year. One prospect that seems to fit that bill is cornerback Kelee Ringo from the national championship team, the University of Georgia.

“He has a great frame, fantastic length and impressive speed," Draft Bible said of Ringo. "It didn’t matter the receiver’s speed he went up against in man coverage, Ringo was always in the wideout's hip pocket. With his length and speed, Ringo was never beaten on any vertical route. Ringo plays up to his strength, displaying physicality in coverage and with the ball in the air. Receivers weren’t able to win jump balls against him.”

Ringo is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound cornerback who used his athletic frame and ability to overpower receivers coming his way. That is why a player with his stature can benefit the Raiders' defense.

Once listed as a first-rounder, Ringo has fallen off the rankings in the latest draft boards, but that doesn’t mean teams won’t shy away from reaching out to him early.

This year’s draft doesn't have the extent of elite corners in which teams can wait on in the first round of the draft as in previous years, and that is why a team could make a move early on drafting Ringo.

“He’s still seen as more athlete than football player, and there are some questions about motivation and drive here," said one NFC executive. "That said, he’s super talented. He’s big, fast. You go in there and they tell you he’s gonna blaze in the 40.”

Ringo gave up some big touchdown passes against Ohio State’s elite wide receivers in the Peach Bowl but also helped make them commit key turnovers throughout the game.

Overall, Ringo has played exceptionally well over his career at Georgia, gaining plenty of experience going up against a handful of the best wide receivers in college football. 

If available by the second round, Ringo can be a player who can help fill in holes in the Raiders' secondary.

The Raiders will evaluate everything about a player, and if Ringo wants to improve and ball out at the next level, Las Vegas can surely be that spot to see him shine.

The 2023 NFL Draft is set to begin on Thursday, April 27, with the start of the first round.  The NFL Draft will occur at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo., ending with rounds five to seven on Saturday, April 29.  ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network will broadcast all seven rounds.

The NFL Scouting Combine is Feb. 28-March 6, 2023, held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. March 7, 2023, before 4 p.m. EST, is the club's deadline to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

March 13-15 is the free agent negotiation period. During the time starting at 12 p.m. EST on March 13 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m. EST on March 15, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2022 Player Contracts at 4 p.m. EST on March 15.

The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period begins at 4 p.m. EST on March 15. The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this season.

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